Holabird Advocate

Providing all the news we see fit to print since 2002!

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Answer Comes EarlyBut Question ChangesYesterday Morning Jerry Hinkle got a call from the admissions office at DWU, and was informed that as far as getting accepted, they see no problem. There are some financial forms and other considerations to be dealt with. It is no longer becoming a question of if, but when. He's shooting for September of this year.The $64,000 question is becoming the $71,000 question. It's a case of "You get what you pay for" as they actually help students find financial aid and affordable housing. The rest will be up to Jerry. Perhaps the SDWC will show him how their "beg button" works, if indeed it does.Another Fundraising Project

It seems that former Holabird youth, Sam Smith, has heard the call to preach God's word. He wants to start out with a mission trip to Israel. Trouble is, it's gonna cost $2500. Christians have a chance to put our money where our mouth is. Jesus through the Great Commission tells us to go to the ends of the Earth, making disciples and baptize them. If there are any Christians there who will go to to another nation in the name of Jesus, more power to them. But if they can't go, all of us here at the Holabird Advocate believe that they should help support those who are willing and able to go. That's why we help to support Kassidee Kennedy in her mission. We're sure even $10/month would help out. We'll leave that up to you whether or not you have the call to donate to this cause. In the NewsWitnesses Tell Truth of War Incidents

In a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Tuesday, committee members heard testimony from Spc. Bryan O'Neal that the hero story of Army Ranger Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan in 2004 was a "manufactured narrative" put forth by the Army.Actually, Tillman, an NFL star who had turned down a lucrative contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals to volunteer for military service, was killed by friendly fire, mistakenly shot by fellow Rangers. That fact has been public for some time, but O'Neal's testimony charged that there was an initial attempt to misrepresent the incident.Tillman's death came while the Army was facing another political disaster. The media was preparing to release reports of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.O'Neal, the last soldier to see Tillman alive, told the committee that he had been ordered not to tell Tillman's brother, Kevin, who was also serving in the military in Afghanistan, what really happened. O'Neal said that his battalion commander "made it known I would get in trouble, sir, if I spoke with Kevin on it being fratricide."The official news release telling of Tillman's death reported that he had died while leading a courageous counterattack against enemy fighters in an Afghan mountain pass.The battalion commander's superior officer, then-Col. James C. Nixon, previously told the inspector general of the Defense Department that he ordered that the facts of Tillman's death be shared with as few people as possible so that the Tillman family would not learn that information through news media leaks. That shaped the battalion commander's instruction to his soldiers.At Tuesday's hearing, Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who had been captured in Iraq in 2003 by Iraqi fighters after her convoy was ambushed, testified that the media story of her going down fighting like "Rambo" did not reflect the truth either. Lynch was severely injured in the incident. She said that she never fired a shot because her gun was jammed with sand.Likewise, her subsequent retrieval from an Iraqi hospital by U.S. troops nine days later was portrayed as a rescue, but in fact, there were no Iraqi fighters at the hospital to resist the U.S. soldiers. After the hero story emerged, Lynch said, the military did not correct it and the media spread it. Upon her return home, she was troubled that the "little girl 'Rambo'" myth continued to be repeated, especially while the true heroics of her comrades who fought bravely though the firefight until they were killed, received little attention."The truth of war is not always easy. The truth is always more heroic than the hype," Lynch told the House panel.Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), chairman of the committee, commented that the federal government invented "sensational details and stories" about the death of Tillman and the rescue of Lynch. "The bare minimum we owe our soldiers and their families is the truth," Waxman said. Committee member Tom Davis (R-VA), argued that it was not the military but the media that exaggerated the Lynch rescue. He did not, however, defend the military in its handling of Tillman's death. About that, Davis said it was a "disservice" to have let "a myth outrun the facts."

Jerry,DWU is a great college that you might want to hear some special news about. If you remember, last year at Hunter's fundraiser in Wessington Springs, the entire DWU baseball team came and shaved their heads. It was, of course, one of the big high-lights of the night. This past Saturday, after a year of keeping in touch via email, they asked Hunter to be their batboy at their games that day. We went and Hunter felt so important. We walked up to the dugout and one of the guys, #44, noticed him and yelled out his name. "Hunter!!!" I wish I could have taken a picture of Hunter's smile. Needless to say, Hunter had a great time and we were reminded what a great group of guys the DWU baseball team really is.Their even hoping to make one of Hunter's soccer games. So be proud of your future college. I am!